xcomfandomcom-20200223-history
Heavy Class
The Heavy Class is a soldier class in XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The primary role of the Heavy Class is delivering large-scale damage to as many targets as possible, through the use of explosive ordnance or heavy gunfire. It is the only class capable of using Rocket Launchers, which provide high area damage and demolish obstacles. XCOM Database Tactical Description The Heavy Class is a front line specialist that excels in winning straight fights with sustained fire from cover. A Heavy has explosives to break up enemy positions and to level the playing field if overwhelmed, and also excels at destroying enemy cover with explosives and heavy weapon fire. Like the other classes, there are two promotion paths for the Heavy. The left side turns the Heavy into an area-of-effect nuker, whereas the right side focuses on crowd-control utility. Heavies favor stationary positioning, as key abilities such as firing a rocket may be used only when no movement is made. Always re-position the Heavy behind the most durable cover on the front line, to minimize his need for movement. The Heavy Class is effective at dealing with both clustered enemies and enemies in cover, either through rocket weaponry or the Suppression ability. Rockets can injure many enemies at once and destroy their cover, exposing them to gunfire from fellow troops. Suppression can be used to lock down would-be flankers and melee enemies and to provide safe passage for squad mates advancing toward enemies in strong cover. Weapons The Heavy Class can be equipped with Light Machine Guns and Rocket Launchers. LMGs Source: Tactical Info, XCOM: Enemy Unknown In comparison to the standard rifles used by Rookies, Supports and Assaults, the Heavy's guns are the most terrain-damaging: inflicting roughly 1/4 of the damage dealt by a Frag Grenade against destructible cover (three times more than the Assault Rifle), therefore being the most reliable weapons at the beginning of the game at exposing aliens via gunfire. Their damage within a given tech level is surpassed only by the Sniper's Headshot ability, which is able to inflict comparable critical damage to targets, but with much greater frequency. Foundry Upgrades *Ammo Conservation: Increase ammo capacity by 100%. Rocket Launchers Source: Tactical Info, XCOM: Enemy Unknown Abilities When a soldier is promoted, some ranks allow a choice between two abilities. Skill Comparisons Players who have completed Ironman on Classic and Impossible difficulties recommend taking at least Bullet Swarm, Shredder Rocket, and Danger Zone. Bullet Swarm vs. Holo-Targeting Bullet Swarm is preferred for most cases: Holo-Targeting is weaker as a stand-alone talent; it requires commitment to its synergies (Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Danger Zone, Mayhem), which are also individually weaker. *'Bullet Swarm' promotes a defensive strategy and allows the Heavy to be devastating in shootouts. **Bullet Swarm's alternative actions available after the first shot ensures adaptability: ***Fire weapon twice per turn ***Fire weapon before using Reload ***Fire weapon before using a grenade (or other items) ***Fire weapon before using Overwatch ***Fire weapon before using Suppression ***Fire weapon before using Mindfray (or other Psionic abilities) ***Fire weapon before using Hunker Down ***Fire weapon before moving **Bullet Swarm's additional shot with a heavy weapon against large targets is frequently better than an aim bonuses. Even double shot misses are relevant as LMG fire can destroy light cover, leaving some targets exposed for easy followup kills. *'Holo-Targeting' promotes an offensive strategy as it's unaffected by an initial half-move. **Holo-Targeting offsets the reaction fire penalty and reliably triggers Rapid Reaction when landing Suppression shots. **Holo-Targeting's +10 Aim bonus is useful for Rookies and Sqauddies in earning kills and encourages focus fire as a squad against large targets. Shredder Rocket vs. Suppression Shredder Rocket is preferred for most cases: Suppression is weaker as a stand-alone talent; it requires commitment to its synergies (Holo-Targeting, Rapid Reaction, Danger Zone, Mayhem), which are also individually weaker. *'Shredder Rockets' provides an additional rocket that deals 4 damage and applies 33% increased damage debuff against struck foes. **Shredder Rocket destroys cover, hits multiple targets, detonates cars/power sources/explosive terrain, has a long range and a wide area of effect. **Shredder Rocket allows precise lowering of an aliens' health (without weapon damage variance or critical hits) for easier alien capture. *'Suppression' applies a -30 Aim penalty and grants reaction fire on a single target. **Suppression primary uses are: **#Neutralize aliens that are dangerously close to gaining a flank **#Lockdown movement of exposed & flanked targets from regaining effective cover **#Clear away Overwatchers, as Suppression removes Overwatch **Suppression costs 2 ammo; Heavies only have 3 shots per clip (and only 6 after Ammo Conservation). **Suppression's aim penalty does not prevent aliens from killing squad members, unless said target is locked down under multiple suppressions. **Suppression's lockdown utility may be better utilized by S.H.I.V.s and the Support Class's Rifle Suppression ability. HEAT Ammo vs. Rapid Reaction HEAT Ammo is preferred for most cases: both have merits. Rapid Reaction is weaker as a stand-alone talent; it requires commitment to its synergies (Holo-Targeting, Suppression, Danger Zone, Mayhem), which are also individually weaker. *'HEAT Ammo' provides +100% (reduced to +50% in XCOM: Enemy Within) damage bonus when used against robotic targets. **HEAT Ammo is extremely effective against Cyberdiscs, Drones, Mechtoids, and Sectopods. *'Rapid Reaction' is an unreliable general purpose boost to reactive fire as the Heavies' Aim is generally not that great. **Rapid Reaction is extremely effective against Chryssalids and Berserkers, as melee aliens must move in order to attack, so they always trigger large quantities of close range reactive fire. Grenadier vs. Danger Zone Danger Zone is preferred for most cases: it synergies with both sides of the Heavy ability tree in ways Grenadier does not. *'Danger Zone' increases Area of Effect on grenades, Suppression, and Rocket attacks by 2 tiles. **Danger Zone increased area of effect of Rockets is quite significant, and effectively extends a rocket's reach even further. ***The area of effect is so big that even if the rocket veers off target, it may still nail the intended targets. **Danger Zone adds an area of effect onto Suppression which is transformative. ***Danger Zone results in suppressing two (or more) targets at once, granting reactive fire on each of these targets. *'Grenadier' allows two grenades in a single inventory slot. In XCOM: Enemy Within, the ability also grants +1 damage to Frag, Alien, and Needle Grenades. **Unfortunately Heavies rarely require additional explosives especially in lieu of more helpful items such as a S.C.O.P.E. or Chitin Plating. **Grenadier does provide greater utility in XCOM: Enemy Within due to the expansion's addition of Tactical Rigging and non-lethal grenades (Flashbang, Gas, and Ghost). Rocketeer vs. Mayhem Both promotions are a significant upgrade and are preferred for most cases: select whichever best suits the Heavies role. *'Rocketeer' makes rationing 3 rockets per mission simpler. **There is safety in having an additional source of reliable damage, and destroying cover and exposing foes is always relevant. ***Rocketeer greatly speeds up missions overall - there are always a few stubborn alien packs, and Rocketeer allows for the removal of 1-2 said groups at the first sign of trouble while still retaining another for insurance. ***Rocketeer is exceptional for setting up kills for the Rookies, making them easy prey in follow up shots. *'Mayhem' adds 1-3 damage based on weapon tech level to grenades, Rockets, Suppression and all area-effect abilities. **Mayhem is the pièce de résistance, maximizes the power of Rockets against clusters of enemies, and offers minor, reliable AoE damage on Suppression, making Suppression frequently worthwhile. **Mayhem kills Chryssalids in one shot, no Blaster Launcher required. **Mayhem is a safer pick for the dangerous missions, especially Terror Sites, where Heavies are overrun in an instant. Builds and Tactics Anti-Tank Rifleman :Bullet Swarm, Shredder Rocket, HEAT Ammo, Danger Zone, Rocketeer Heavy Class "shredder build" to take for missions with large quantities of Hardened foes, especially in harder modes. Danger Zone + Shredder ensures that a whole group of lesser enemies die. Bullet Swarm + HEAT Ammo brings significant firepower against Cyberdiscs and Mechtoids. Automatic Rifleman :Holo-Targeting, Suppression, Rapid Reaction, Danger Zone, Mayhem Heavy Class "lockdown build" that excels in close quarters combat against Chryssalids and Zombies. With Danger Zone + Mayhem and Heavy Plasma, suppression deals a guarantee 3 damage in a small 2-radius area (equivalent to a Frag Grenade). Holo Targeting triggers with Suppression to give a much needed Aim boost against Sectopods, which has +40 permanent defense. (Note: Shaojie Zhang is particularly effective at this role.) Grenadier Rifleman :Bullet Swarm, Suppression, HEAT Ammo, Grenadier, Mayhem Heavy Class "general-purpose build" that maximizes flexibility. Bullet Swarm allows Grenades or Suppression to be used after firing; this gives options in terms of actions, while still having decent firepower. With Grenadier and Mayhem, the Heavy can carry 4 Alien Grenades that can be unleashed after moving or firing. (That's a total of 36 damage, which is more than all 3 rockets combined!) The small grenade radius helps ensure minimal collateral to EXALT and UFO equipment. Throwing grenades does not break Mimetic Skin's cloak if enemies do not line of sight. Equipment and Upgrades Equipment *S.C.O.P.E. is extremely useful for Heavies of all ranks and builds as they maintain the lowest Aim of all the classes. *Chitin Plating increases effectiveness of front-line Suppression and Grenadier Heavies. *Grenades are deadlier with Grenadier. Gene Mods Requires XCOM: Enemy Within expansion: *Hyper Reactive Pupils confers +10 Aim after missing a shot, making the second shot of Bullet Swarm deadlier if the first misses. *Mimetic Skin greatly increases the viability of the Suppression + Danger Zone combo, allowing a Heavy to suppress three (or more) aliens in an unactivated pod. Multiplayer Heavy Classes The following is a detailed break-down of the Heavy class stats and abilities in multiplayer mode. ''Note: Each soldier class has a base cost of 800 points, which would need to be added to the values above to determine the point value of a particular build. The above point and stat values reflect the default (i.e. 0 point) equipment load-out.'' Notes *Mayhem ability increases rocket damage and the initial damage of the Suppression ability by one point per tech level of the main weapon, bringing maximum rocket damage to 12 when equipped with the Blaster Launcher and the Heavy Plasma. *On Terror missions extra care is needed when deploying explosives in general, and firing rockets in particular, as any civilians caught in the ensuring blast will die, lowering the mission score. Category:Soldier Classes